Selected quad for the lemma: spirit_n
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A92566
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A vindication of conformity to the liturgy of the Church of England. In a letter, written to A person of quality, wherein satisfaction is given to certain queries suggested by a non-conformist.
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P. S.
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1668
(1668)
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Wing S124; ESTC R183126
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12,388
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56
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she recommendeth her proceedings to the judgement of every mans Conscience and hath received no censure from any Church since the Reformation Nay so far is she from incurring the censures of the rest of her Sisters that they rather emulate her Beauty We are assured that the Reformed Churches which follow the Confession of Ausburgh have the very same both Government and Worship in every particular that we have Nay they go farr beyond us in many things of the same kind which our Church hath thought fit to lay aside and yet by a Nationall Assembly of the Reformed Churches of France held at Charenton Anno 1631. are quitted from the charge either of Idolatry or Superstition in their publick worship See Durel pag. 4. so that if the Querist by his former expression where he mentions the restoring of conformity would tax our Church with Non-conformity to the rest of the Reformation because she reteineth a Liturgie with a Rubrick he is strangely mistaken and knows not the Methods of their publick worship For as the most of them have a subordination of Pastors and admit not a parity in the Government of their Churches so have they as the cited Author attesteth all of them set Formes of Prayer not one excepted he instanceth in the Imperiall Towns and other Free States as Strasburgh Vlm Ausburgh Norenburgh Hamburg Lubeck and in all the Territories of the Soveraigne Princes of Germany Saxony Brandenburg Lawenburg Brunswick Baden Ouspatch Mecklenburg c. so that the Church of England by abolishing Liturgie would be so farr from restoring conformity with the best Reformed Churches that she would be rather Schismaticall by walking in a path by her selfe alone 4. But the Querist would know Whether to submit to the Forme enjoyned be not a transgression of his Commission given him Mat. 28. ult penult The Commission there given was immediately proper to the Apostles who were to be Christs Witnesses of what they had heard and seen by Preaching repentance and remission of sins in his Name among all Nations beginning at Jerusalem Luke 24.47 48. so farr as it extends to all inferiour orders of the Ministery they may well think themselves concerned to fulfill so solemne a charge the words are Go ye therefore and teach all Nations Baptizing them c. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you c. I cannot imagine how the Liturgie of the English Church checketh this Commission it no where prohibits the teaching of Christs Precepts and if any in the Communion of our Nationall Church shall presume to teach any thing contrary unto them I hope the care of our Spirituall Governours is so great that he would no longer be permitted to proceed in sowing such tares than he should be convicted guilty of so foule a crime neither do the dutifull Sons of the Church of England bid Christ as the Querist pretends keep his gifts and spirit which he hath promised to himself Nay rather when they observe the spirit of wisedom and counsell so to have assisted the Compilers of the Liturgy that the exactest searchers into it disputers against it have bin able after all their heats rather passionately to revile it than solidly to confute it they own Christs gracious succour in the illumination and direction of those that framed it and see that generall promise verified in the reformation of the particular Nationall Church in the very Text alledged by the Querist Lo I am with you alwaies even to the end of the world And therefore the Querist may be secure that his Assenting and Consenting will never endanger him to incurr the curse denounced against such as shall adde or detract from the Word of God For our Church doth not impose her Liturgy as immediately inspired but contrived through the assistance of the Spirit indeed but by men using the means of study and carefull enquiry after the truth not challenging Propheticall or Apostolical infallibility Whereupon it will follow that the complyer with this method of Worship can in no reason be charged with reeidivation from asserting Christs supremacy for the Liturgy controles no Law of Christ nor challengeth any submission to the diminution of his authority but directs us to make all our addresses to God the Father in his name and glorifieth him as the Father in the unity of the blessed Spirit common to them both teaching us to ascribe honour prayse obedience and adoration to the three Persons in the unity of the same essence for ever and ever He that distrusteth the settlement of so well an ordered Church may rather be afraid to incurr the curse wished by the Apostle upon the disturbers of the peace of the Galatians I would they were even cut off that trouble you Let a man search the Liturgy and examine every parcell of it I am confident that he shall find no part of it contrary to sound reason the sacred Text or the usage and custome of the ancient Church and then I think St. Augustines words may be worth the Querists consideration Contra rationem nemo sobrius contra Scripturasnemo Christianus contra Ecclesiam nemo pacificus senserit de Trin. 4.6 no sober man will contradict reason no Christian the Scriptures no peaceable person the custome of the Church Good Madam whether I have said enough to satisfie the Contriver of the Queries I know not but I am confident that I have said more than was requisite to satisfie your Ladyship for you are better Principled in the Religion establish't amongst us than to be shaken by such Proposals as the Querist's Paper has offered to your consideration Indeed it seems strange to me that Persons otherwise not voyd of common sense should so bungle in disputes of this nature as without any considerable force of Argument to oppose not onely the practice of our own Church and all others of the Reformation but to slight the precedent of the Catholick Church throughout the East and West for a long time before even impudence it self dare charge them with Superstition or Idolatry except God in his just judgement has given them up unto a spirit of delusion For it is very possible that they who upon secular designes disturbed the settlement of our Church whose prudent and pious constitutions their own subscriptions had sometimes justified should deservedly be punished either with so much blindness as not to see what formerly they discerned or with so much hardness of heart as to refuse to comply with what they can with no solidity of reason disapprove and censure The piety and charity of your Ladyship make you zealous to win others to the same perswasion which upon not onely the authority of our Church but the conviction of your own discerning Judgement you have embraced I heartily wish that these or any other endeavours of mine might contribute somewhat to the gaining of any dissenters to the bosom of that affectionate Mother whom they have so deeply by their Apostasie disquieted and grieved 'T is not in my judgement an Act of comprehension that will effect this great work that will but disparage the Wisedome and gravity of our pious Mother and farther confirme such wanton Children as resolve never to be confuted in their obstinate though groundless oppositions It must be some Act of the incomprehensible goodness and power of God who is able both to illuminate the eyes of the blind and discover unto them the path of Truth and to order the Footsteps of the pervers and guide them into the way of Peace Your Christian charity will incline you to implore Almighty God for such a mercy for them and I shall cheerfully joyn with you in the same request To this I shall at this time adde but one more for a blessing upon your Ladyships Person and Family and without giving you any further trouble of Reading what has long since exceeded the measures of a Letter rest Good Madam Your Ladiships humble servant in Christ P. S. Feb. 25. 1667 8.
A VINDICATION OF CONFORMITY TO THE LITURGY Of the Church of ENGLAND In a Letter Written to a Person of Quality wherein satisfaction is given to certain Queries suggested by a Non-Conformist YORK Printed by Stephen Bulkley And are to be sold by Richard Lambert 1668. Imprimatur Joh. Garthwait Reverendissimo in Christo Patri ac Dom. Dom. Richardo Archiepis Eboracensi à Sacris Domesticis Datum Episcopo-Thorpae Feb. 19. 1668. Queries of a Non-Conformist WHether our Lord and Master Jesus Christ as he is God and Man he not the sole Supream Legislator to his Church and People in things concerning the Worship of God insomuch that what ever externall exhibition of the Worship of God as to the whole or such part of it as was not in use in the Prophets our Saviours the Apostles dayes not for above three hundred years after our Lords Ascension neither is any where in the sacred Scriptures appointed by our Lord Masiers command or example to be used in Publick and is so far from having his Royall Stamp upon it that as to some parts of it it is plainly insufficient considered as a means to effect that which it is appointed for whether such a Publick Worship of God with ' its Liturgie and Rubrick ought at all to be used in the Churches of Christ in these dayes of Reformation or Restoration of Conformity 2. Whether the enjoyments of such a Publick Worship ut supra with that strictness that unless that Worship be used there must not be any other Worship of God be used be it never so Scripturall and Orthodox whether this be not a making this Worship an Essentiall part of Gods Worship and an adding to Gods Word so solemnly forbidden in Deuteronomie and Revelation 3. Whether if I assent and consent to the use of that Worship Liturgie and Rubrick Whether I doe not so far set up an other Power in co-ordination to my Law-giver and Judge who is both God and Man Yea Whether I doe not set up another Power above Him if I doe as that Power enjoynes rather omit or curtall that I know for certaine my Lord and Master enjoynes than leave one word un-read of that manner of Worship a Forraigne Power enjoynes Whether thus doing is not such a pleasing of Man as declares I am no true servant of Jesus Christ 4. Whether it be not a transgression of my Commission given me by my Lord and Masters own mouth in Mat. 28. ult and penult whether it be not in some sence a bidding him keep his Gifts and Spirit he hath promised keep them to himselfe I am furnished with a manner of Worship which I can carry on without his or his Spirits help or any extraordinary gift Whether by Assenting and Consenting ut supra I doe not incurr the curse threatned against Adding or detracting from the Word of God and from the word of that Prophet spoken of by Moses and Paul Whether by Assenting and Consenting ut supra I doe not recidivate from being a faithfull Witness and Asserter of my Lord and Master his sole Supremacy ut supra And whether I doe not hereby render my selfe plainely without excuse when he at that great day shall say Who required the Exhibition of such a worship at thy hands Good Madam I Intended before this time to have performed my promise to your Ladyship in sending you a word or two concerning that Paper which a Divine presented to your Mother I told you at Horn by Castle that much having been written by Learned Men of our Church concerning this Argument which it is supposed any Minister in this Nation that desires cordially to imploy his Talent in his native Country to Gods glory and his Country-mens advantage will not neglect to peruse the best course would be for a Person unsatisfied after the Reading of such Writings Hookers Ecclesiasticall Politie Arch-bishop Whitgifts Reply to the Admonition Masons Sermon of Conformity Bishop Sandersons Preface c. to debate matters calmely with some Divine of a contrary perswasion especially with some Learned Bishop who by verball conference may possibly give the dissenting person that satisfaction which by Reading he cannot yet procure If till opportunity offer it selfe of better assistance any weak endeavours of mine might contribute any thing to the settlement of this Gentleman I should be very ready to communicate unto him the ground of my own submission to the Church Government now established among us and to hear him produce the Reasons of his dissatisfaction If he shall be able by any convincing Arguments to prove that our Church enjoyneth any thing contrary to the will of the Supreme Legislator I hope that nothing that I enjoy at this time in it shall be an impediment unto me of embracing his convictions and bearing a part of that Cross which many of his perswasion would have the world think that they take upon them for the cause of Christ 'T is possible the Gentleman may have more to alledge in discourse than he has expressed by writing otherwise I much marvaile why he should think himselfe warranted to suspend his exercise of such gifts as God hath given him and the pursuit of that high Calling unto which I suppose him Legally advanced by reason of the present settlement of our Church For first in reference to his first Querie We all readily acknowledge our Lord Christ the Supreme and sole Law-giver to his Church in all the substantialls of his worship and service But yet we deny that it doth hence follow that no circumstances of serving God are left to the Judgement of the present Church The holy Scriptures are a sufficient rule of Faith and manners and we abhorr that distinction of the Papists of the Word of God into Traditionall and Written We cheerfully beleeve all things necessary for us to beleeve and doe to be contained in those holy Books of the Old and New Testament as appears by the sixth Article of our Church And yet when God was pleased to afford us the succour of supernaturall Revelation in the grand Mysteries of our salvation We do not beleeve that he forbad us the sober use of Reason the giving a greater light was not intended for the extinction of the lesser but to offer unto us the help of Divine assistance in things that naturall reason is altogether blind in the eye of humane reason is dimme in discerning naturall and Morall things altogether blind in Divine We give therefore no licence at all unto reason to contradict the revealed will of God in his Word The sacred authority therefore of supernaturall truth being advanced to that pitch of unquestionable dignity that where it speaks clearly there no exceptions of Men or Angels are permitted to interpose and controle what is there spoken what should hinder a single Person as far as his liberty is not restrained by his Superiours much less a Nationall Church publiquely to manage the worship of God after those Methods which reason assisted by